Cream Puffs
Cream puffs filled with simple vanilla whipped cream and covered in a dusting of powdered sugar are a classic dessert. But once you’ve mastered the recipe for the cream puff shell, it can be customized with all sorts of delicious filling to your heart’s desire!
Servings: 12 cream puffs
Ingredients
pate choux dough (cream puff shell)
- ½ cup milk
- 2 ounces unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs
Egg wash
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon water
Whipped Cream Filling
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside.
- Heat ½ cup milk, 2 ounces unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, and ¼ teaspoon kosher salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat until simmering but not boiling, about 3 minutes.
- Take the saucepan off the heat and mix in ½ cup all-purpose flour to form a thick paste. Put the saucepan back on medium heat and cook the flour mixture, stirring constantly, until the dough forms and pulls away from the sides and bottom of the pan, about 2 minutes.
- Transfer the cooked dough to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat with the paddle attachment on medium speed for 2-3 minutes to cool it down a bit. Add 2 large eggs one at a time to the dough and continue beating until each egg is completely incorporated before adding the next.
- Transfer the dough into a large piping bag fitted with a large round tip and pipe 12 equal portions, about 1 ½ - 2 inches in diameter, on the prepared baking sheet. Dip your fingers in a little water and use them to smooth out each mound of dough so there are no peaks or spikes on top.
- In a small bowl, beat 1 large egg with 1 tablespoon water to make an egg wash. Gently brush the egg wash on top of the piped dough using a pastry brush.
- Bake for about 22 - 25 minutes until the shells are puffed and golden. Observe through the oven door, but do NOT open the oven during baking. Turn off the oven and crack the door open, allowing the cream puffs to cool inside the oven for at least 15 minutes before removing them to let them finish cooling completely on a wire rack.
Whipping Cream Filling
- Add 1 cup heavy whipping cream, ¼ cup granulated sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract to the bowl of a stand mixer bowl and beat on high speed with the whisk attachment until stiff peaks form. Cover and store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- When the cream puff shells are completely cool, split them open and fill them with whipped cream, replace the top of dust with powdered sugar before serving.
Video
Notes
- This recipe makes a dozen small cream puffs but it can be doubled or tripled easily to make more.
- Because the cream puffs are baked at a high oven temperature, use a light color baking sheet or an air insulated baking sheet to decrease the chances of the bottoms burning.
Nutrition
Calories: 165kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 80mg | Sodium: 76mg | Potassium: 59mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 494IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 35mg | Iron: 0.5mg
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